One killed in group clash near Watrap

A large posse of police deployed in trouble-prone areas

A 32-year-old man was killed by an armed gang in W. Pudupatti, a hamlet near Watrap in Virudhunagar district, on Sunday.

As the news spread, tension prevailed in and around the village. The police opened fire in the air to scare away group of people.

Karuppu alias Karuppiah (32), a Dalit, was attacked with ‘aruval' by a gang belonging to another sub-caste. The incident took place at about 1 p.m.

It is said that a wordy duel between two groups of people travelling in a mini-bus snowballed into a clash.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police (Virudhunagar district) S. Prabhakaran said that the police opened fire in the air to bring the situation under control.

A large posse of police had been deployed in trouble-prone areas in and around Watrap. “We are monitoring the situation closely,” he added.

Local villagers said that there had been simmering differences between the two sub-castes.